Lifelong Dodger Fan

Re "Dodgers Drop the Ball at Kids' Event," June 11: I am a lifelong Dodger fan. I remember when I was a kid waiting outside Dodger Stadium after the 1977 World Series for Steve Garvey, my hero, to come out and sign autographs. He signed every last one for every last kid and stayed at the stadium much later than he probably had to. It was great! (I still have my autographed ticket.) As for Raul Mondesi, Roger Cedeno and Carlos Hernandez, well, they aren't heroes at all for what they did to those poor kids, they are just a bunch of losers.

Only Paul DePodesta could look at the sinking ship that is the Dodgers and find reason for optimism. He would have made a great captain of the Titanic. Leonard Levine Tarzana Is Dodger General Manager Paul DePodesta suffering from a computer hangover? That's the only excuse possible for his quote earlier in the week ("We have to beat the teams outside our division in October, not necessarily every time we play them in May."). The Dodgers, who should be mathematically eliminated way before then, have only two games scheduled in October (against the Padres)

Bravo to Bill Plaschke's column about John Roseboro. Time has allowed us to forget the greats of baseball. Unless someone's record is broken, little is heard until the obituary is written. I am a lifelong Dodger fan. I was too young to really appreciate Campy and I was always impressed watching Yeager and Scioscia call a game in the '70s and '80s. But my teen years in the '60s, that was when John Roseboro was synonymous with the name Dodgers. My thoughts and prayers go to John Roseboro and his family.

Bravo to Bill Plaschke's column about John Roseboro. Time has allowed us to forget the greats of baseball. Unless someone's record is broken, little is heard until the obituary is written. I am a lifelong Dodger fan. I was too young to really appreciate Campy and I was always impressed watching Yeager and Scioscia call a game in the '70s and '80s. But my teen years in the '60s, that was when John Roseboro was synonymous with the name Dodgers. My thoughts and prayers go to John Roseboro and his family.

Only Paul DePodesta could look at the sinking ship that is the Dodgers and find reason for optimism. He would have made a great captain of the Titanic. Leonard Levine Tarzana Is Dodger General Manager Paul DePodesta suffering from a computer hangover? That's the only excuse possible for his quote earlier in the week ("We have to beat the teams outside our division in October, not necessarily every time we play them in May."). The Dodgers, who should be mathematically eliminated way before then, have only two games scheduled in October (against the Padres)

It's possible that the worst contract in a long history of stupid Dodger big-money contracts going back to Dave Goltz and Don Stanhouse was not given to Carlos Perez or Devon White. No, I believe it was given to Darren Dreifort. Just what were Kevin Malone, et al, thinking when they shelled out an unfathomable $55 million to this whiny career underachiever? Tuesday night, Dreifort was so totally outclassed and outperformed by Randy Johnson that it was embarrassing. The Unit was poised, focused and determined in his attack of batters.

Now that the Tribune has absorbed The Times, the Chicago-L.A. link could be expanded by trading Gary Sheffield for Frank Thomas. That way each team would still have a malcontent, megalomaniacal misanthrope on its roster, just playing a different position. Because neither of these sluggers has ever thought of anyone except himself in his entire life, it would definitely represent "equal value" for Kevin Malone. The logjam created at first base for the Dodgers could be easily solved by releasing Eric Karros.

I WAS 7 YEARS OLD in the summer of 1949 when I turned on a console radio in Galveston, Tex., and discovered baseball. Someone named Jackie Robinson hit a home run into a street called Bedford Avenue as the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the New York Giants. Not one summer day since has passed without the Dodgers being a part of my life. Thirty-eight years is a long time to stay married to one team, especially when you're forced to live apart.

As a lifelong Dodger fan and season-ticker holder, I find it incredible that before this week there has been no mention of the fan violence at Dodger Stadium. For several years, the former L.A. Raider fans have taken up residence in the pavilion seats and created an environment that is frighteningly close to the soccer hoodlums in Europe. With the taunting, physical intimidation, fights and now sprints on the field followed by thrown debris, it's about time someone took the time to expose the growing problem.

I really enjoyed the article by Bill Plaschke on Don Sutton. As a lifelong Dodger fan, I have tremendous respect for what he did for the Dodgers and for Dodger fans. Year in and year out, he kept the Dodgers in the pennant race with brains and determination. He certainly deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Whenever the greatest baseball announcer, Vin Scully, retires, Don Sutton should be hired to take his place. He deserves to be back with them. LEO GUTIERREZ Los Angeles I didn't realize it at first, but Plaschke did all of us Dodger fans a service by writing another "the Dodgers don't respect me" Don Sutton article.

It's possible that the worst contract in a long history of stupid Dodger big-money contracts going back to Dave Goltz and Don Stanhouse was not given to Carlos Perez or Devon White. No, I believe it was given to Darren Dreifort. Just what were Kevin Malone, et al, thinking when they shelled out an unfathomable $55 million to this whiny career underachiever? Tuesday night, Dreifort was so totally outclassed and outperformed by Randy Johnson that it was embarrassing. The Unit was poised, focused and determined in his attack of batters.

Now that the Tribune has absorbed The Times, the Chicago-L.A. link could be expanded by trading Gary Sheffield for Frank Thomas. That way each team would still have a malcontent, megalomaniacal misanthrope on its roster, just playing a different position. Because neither of these sluggers has ever thought of anyone except himself in his entire life, it would definitely represent "equal value" for Kevin Malone. The logjam created at first base for the Dodgers could be easily solved by releasing Eric Karros.

Re "Dodgers Drop the Ball at Kids' Event," June 11: I am a lifelong Dodger fan. I remember when I was a kid waiting outside Dodger Stadium after the 1977 World Series for Steve Garvey, my hero, to come out and sign autographs. He signed every last one for every last kid and stayed at the stadium much later than he probably had to. It was great! (I still have my autographed ticket.) As for Raul Mondesi, Roger Cedeno and Carlos Hernandez, well, they aren't heroes at all for what they did to those poor kids, they are just a bunch of losers.

I WAS 7 YEARS OLD in the summer of 1949 when I turned on a console radio in Galveston, Tex., and discovered baseball. Someone named Jackie Robinson hit a home run into a street called Bedford Avenue as the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the New York Giants. Not one summer day since has passed without the Dodgers being a part of my life. Thirty-eight years is a long time to stay married to one team, especially when you're forced to live apart.

Kent Brown, an unemployed insurance man, found himself in the spotlight of the baseball world Monday afternoon. Brown was Dodger pitcher Hideo Nomo's interpreter. Brown, 42, had given up his insurance business four years ago to go to Japan to learn the language. He returned to the Dallas area in April, and on Saturday was asked if he would like to be Nomo's interpreter at the All-Star game. "This is the biggest day of my life, the ultimate," Brown said.

"How does crow taste on Easter Sunday?" Ron Seay wanted to know via e-mail, and after eating chicken sort of cooked on the barbecue by the Grocery Store Bagger, I think I'm qualified to answer this question, although I have no idea why it's being posed to me. I took a look back at some of the columns I've written recently, and I don't see anything that suggests an apology is in order.